Exploring Imaginary Worlds


Book Description

From The Brothers Karamazov to Star Trek to Twin Peaks, this collection explores a variety of different imaginary worlds both historic and contemporary. Featuring contributions from an interdisciplinary and international group of scholars, each essay looks at a particular imaginary world in-depth, and world-building issues associated with that world. Together, the essays explore the relationship between the worlds and the media in which they appear as they examine imaginary worlds in literature, television, film, computer games, and theatre, with many existing across multiple media simultaneously. The book argues that the media incarnation of a world affects world structure and poses unique obstacles to the act of world-building. The worlds discussed include Nazar, Barsetshire, Skotopogonievsk, the Vorkosigan Universe, Grover’s Corners, Gormenghast, Collinsport, Daventry, Dune, the Death Gate Cycle universe, Twin Peaks, and the Star Trek galaxy. A follow-up to Mark J. P. Wolf ’s field-defining book Building Imaginary Worlds, this collection will be of critical interest to students and scholars of popular culture, subcreation studies, transmedia studies, literature, and beyond.




The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies


Book Description

A definitive guide to contemporary video game studies, this second edition has been fully revised and updated to address the ongoing theoretical and methodological development of game studies. Expertly compiled by well-known video game scholars Mark J. P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, the Companion includes comprehensive and interdisciplinary models and approaches for analyzing video games, new perspectives on video games both as an art form and cultural phenomenon, explorations of the technical and creative dimensions of video games, and accounts of the political, social, and cultural dynamics of video games. Brand new to this second edition are chapters examining topics such as preservation; augmented, mixed, and virtual reality; eSports; disability; diversity; and identity, as well as a new section that specifically examines the industrial aspects of video games including digital distribution, game labor, triple-A games, indie games, and globalization. Each essay provides a lively and succinct summary of its target area, quickly bringing the reader up-to-date on the pertinent issues surrounding each aspect of the field, including references for further reading. A comprehensive overview of the present state of video game studies that will undoubtedly prove invaluable to students, scholars, and game designers alike.




101 Speed Test for GATE Computer Science & Information Technology


Book Description

101 Speed Tests for GATE Computer Science & Information Technology aims at improving your SPEED and STRIKE RATE so as to improve your SCORE. How is this product different? • The book is divided into 101 Speed tests covering three sections with all the topics from General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, Technical Section. • These three sections are further divided into 88 topics. • General Aptitude is divided into 10 topics covering Verbal ability and Numerical Ability. • Engineering Mathematics is divided into 15 topics covering Discrete Mathematics; Linear Algebra; Calculus; Probability. • Technical Section is divided into 63 topics covering Digital Logic; Computer Organization and Architecture; Programming and Data Structures; Algorithms; Theory of Computation; Compiler Design; Operating System; Databases; Computer Networks. • 3 Section tests on General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics, Technical Section. • 10 Full Tests on GATE 2017 Syllabus. • 2400+ Questions with Explanation covering both MCQs and Numerical Answer Type Questions asked in the Exam. • Authentic Solutions to every questions It is our strong belief that if an aspirant works hard on the cues provided through each of the tests he/ she can improve his/ her learning and finally the SCORE by at least 15-20%.




101 Enigmatic Puzzles


Book Description

101 Enigmatic Puzzles: Fractal Mazes, Quantum Chess, Anagram Sudoku, and More is a book of gourmet, handcrafted puzzles is for the puzzle connoisseur who wants hearty meals, not just a series of snacks; unlike many puzzle books which feature large number of little puzzles each of which only take a few minutes, most of these puzzles are carefully constructed to provide a challenge that will last awhile, for the serious puzzler who enjoys being immersed in a puzzle for a time. Many of the puzzles here may take a couple of hours or perhaps even an entire afternoon; though the book is also designed so that one can browse and graze allowing casual puzzlers to explore and enjoy as well. In addition to small, sample puzzles provided when new puzzle forms are presented, there is an entire Hints Section provided, with hints for every puzzle, designed to make the solving easier, while still maintaining a challenge. Thus, the book should be of interest to both hardcore puzzlers and casual puzzlers alike, whether one is looking for brain exercise or an amusing diversion, one can find it here. Most of the puzzles here introduce new twists on older puzzle forms, and some introduce new forms of puzzles as well, that, in addition to needing solutions, require one to figure out how to go about solving them. As the range of puzzles is broad, so is the book's audience; whether one enjoys logic puzzles, mazes, chess puzzles, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, number puzzles, trivia puzzles, or word puzzles, one will find them here, and new varieties of each of them as well. As some of the puzzles combine existing puzzle forms, fans of one type of puzzle will be introduced to other types of puzzles, potentially broadening their areas of interest (for example, the Anagram Sudoku puzzles, which combine Sudoku with anagramming).







The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects


Book Description

"Yields up all sorts of fascinating new angles on the famous siblings…Illuminating." —Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air In this unique and lovingly detailed biography, Victorian literature scholar Deborah Lutz illuminates the fascinating lives of the Brontës through the things they wore, stitched, and inscribed. Lutz immerses readers in a nuanced re-creation of the sisters’ days while moving us chronologically through their lives. From the miniature books they made as children to the walking sticks they carried on hikes on the moors, each possession opens a window onto the sisters’ world, their beloved fiction, and the Victorian era.




Real Puzzles


Book Description




Returning the Gift


Book Description

What is a gift? What do gifts mean and do? Drawing on Marcel Mauss's 1925 essay, this volume studies novels, autobiographical texts, aesthetic treatises, and political writings by Virginia Woolf, Jean Rhys, Gertrude Stein, and H.D. to explore the idea of the gift in Modernist literature.




The Borges Enigma


Book Description

Borges once stated that he had never created a character: 'It's always me, subtly disguised'. This book focuses on the ways in which Borges uses events and experiences from his own life, in order to demonstrate how they become the principal structuring motifs of his work. It aims to show how these experiences, despite being 'heavily disguised', are crucial components of some of Borges's most canonical short stories, particularly from the famous collections Ficciones and El Aleph. Exploring the rich tapestry of symmetries, doubles and allusions and the roles played by translation and the figure of the creator, the book provides new readings of these stories, revealing their hidden personal, emotional and spiritual dimensions. These insights shed fresh light on Borges's supreme literary craftsmanship and the intimate puzzles of his fictions.




Teenagers 101


Book Description

If you have ever found yourself second-guessing how you’re raising your teenager or even at a complete loss for how to deal with some of the problems and situations they are dealing with in today’s complex world that barely resembles the one you grew up in . . . you’re not alone! As a parent, of course you want to see your teen succeed in school and in life--and you’re always willing to do your best to help--but where do you start? How can you relate? What can a parent do that they know will make a difference? Maybe you don’t know the best answers, but one of their teachers might!Veteran high school teacher--and a parent herself--Rebecca Deurlein has spent day in and day out watching kids interact with peers, make decisions, deal with difficulty, accept or deflect responsibility . . . basically being parents’ eyes and ears--and there’s so much she wants you all to know about your kids! In Teenagers 101, Deurlein examines how we can support our teens as they cope with the challenges of the modern world, and offers to parents everywhere practical strategies for getting teens to:• Be self-motivated• Take responsibility for learning• Puzzle through problems• Become their own advocate• Present themselves well• And much morePacked with engaging anecdotes and backed by years of experience, Teenagers 101 is the crash course all parents must take in order to learn the skills their kids need to thrive in college and beyond.